Apple controls everything on iPhone. They get to decide what you can and what you can't download on to your phone and they don't play nice with everybody. That is why I consider iPad a bad idea for a tablet / netbook computer. But Apple's restrictions for iPhone go beyond the phone and affect other domains.
I have a home laptop that came with Windows XP and I badly want to upgrade the operating system. I like Windows 7 and I'm currently using the RC version which is going to expire at the end of this month. But, to purchase Windows 7 upgrade I need to shell out a couple of hundred bucks. Instead, I wanted to try Ubuntu or Linux Mint which are getting very good reviews and are available for free. So, as a first step, I tried to check what software I have installed on my machine that is not compatible with these operating systems. As it turns out, its iTunes. Except for the iTunes, I could find a Linux version of all other software I use (there are few good alternatives for the ones that don't have a Linux version).
iTunes is needed for not only backing up and syncing iPhone, it is a must to upgrade to any new version of the software. So, I can't just live without it or use an alternative. I can't use Ubuntu or Linux Mint because of this reason. There are millions of iPhone and iPod Touch users and Apple is limiting the choice again for them by not supporting over-the-air upgrades of the OS (like Android) and not providing a version of iTunes for Linux.
Next time you want to buy an iPhone / iPod Touch / iPad or anything else from Apple, think about how many ways it is going to limit your choice and freedom.
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